Cambridge Audio CXC Series 2


 Cambridge has come out with the Series 2 CXC transport. Based upon a conversation I had with a dealer the only differences between it and the original model are a new faceplate and finish; there's no technology change.  Cost bumps up $150 for the cosmetics. If you have plans on buying the CXC the original version is on sale as I guess stock needs to be moved out.
facten
You know, if they would've added an II2S output I might've said OK I'll upgrade, but now, no.  I notice that my CXC V1 needs to be fed fairly pristine CD's otherwise it behaves badly.  I had an Oppo UDP-103 and the CXC actually sounds better to me, but I was going through the Oppo DAC and didn't try it as strictly a transport, so I have no real comparison (except that the Oppo would play SACD's and was much more forgiving with scratched/scuffed CD's).
It’s not a quirk. Mine does it too. I’ve actually come to love it. You always know with 100% certainty what track you’re cuing up. No more “Well, a second or two played, will the back button take me to the start of the track or the previous track? Shoot, that’s not what I wanted.” ...Press more buttons...
Is this a quirk of the CXC V1 or is this just my unit? When using the remote and say track #4 is playing, when I push the previous track button track #3 starts. Most players would restart at #4.
It’s not a quirk, depends on the laser/mech and it's board, Sony, Philips, Sanyo ect ect
i have an Arcam Delta 250 transport that does this too, but if you press play it will restart just the track it’s playing.

Cheers George
I have the original CXC and it is excellent value for money. The sound is not good as my Simaudio 260T transport which is in a completely different league , However the price difference is not small cost more than triple than the CXC .I am keeping it as a backup if something get wrong with my Simaudio transport also the CXC is so good and reliable so couldn't let it go and sell it . If your budget is limited it’s a bargain.
I just purchased the V2 of this transport, so I’m reviving an old thread.
In brief, my NAD CD player (about 8 years old) stopped reading discs: "Disc Error" messages persisted. I cleaned the lens with a commercial product to no avail. I waited and waited and waited for the fabled Schiit unit but gave up.

A visit to the local audio shop ("Stereotypes" in Portland, OR: very helpful and accommodating, offering in-home trials of just about anything) narrowed it to the Cambridge (~$550) vs. the Moon by Simaudio (~$2000) transports to use with my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, LRS, Classé DR-9 and etc., I wasn’t able to justify the cost difference. In part, that’s because my CD library (maybe ~500 discs) wasn’t sufficiently expansive and - at least with my modest system - the possibly improved audio quality didn’t justify the cost difference. I don’t have the patience to load all my discs into a hard drive unit, so I decided a modestly priced transport would serve my needs.

As for the transport itself, it’s very well built and it sounds perfectly fine to me. It's significantly better than the old NAD. Overall, it’s comparable to Tidal streamed and a bit less satisfying than analog (VPI HW-19, Mørch UP-4 arm, Sumiko BP#2). Given the proximity to a first class record store ("Music Millenium") with its huge selection of cheap CDs, this should be a good long-term arrangement for me.